Commoners
by XellosRei
Summary: Two new transfers who come from families that have suddenly gained much wealth. These two youths don't take much interest in these rich people but they find the Host club interesting. Three OC's. Might be HXH, because I like that pairing.
1. IT BEGINS!

Disclaimer: This is self insertion and I inserted my friends as well, if you don't find it that interesting that might be because you aren't in my circle of friends. If you do it's because I am awesome and a great writer which I doubt.

I also don't own these characters, go figure.

Chapter one: IT BEGINS!!!!!!

Ouran High School: home of the elite. The social lives of students are based first on wealth, then on power. In the hallowed halls of the school of upward standing two dark haired girls donning freshly pressed female uniforms wandered the halls aimlessly with musical instruments in tow. The girl on the right was tall and curvaceous, with square, black-rimmed glasses and dark red hair pulled into a half-ponytail. She carried flute case. The other girl was shorter with raven hair draped around her shoulders and side-swept bangs. Her flawless alabaster skin was the envy of girls who saw it. She carried a violin case.

"Neko-chan," said the raven-haired girl sourly, "This school lacks certain intellectual properties. I mean, it costs a fortune to attend here, but I don't think it's worth it; there are too many rich people."

The tall girl laughed, "It is still a pretty good school, Rei-chan. It'll look great when we apply to college. Imagine the universities we could get into, maybe even in America..."

After a time they found themselves looking upon a room in the music hall boasting a large number three.

"Nobody's registered to use this room, I checked. Want to practice here?" Neko asked her companion.

Rei looked around; the halls were deserted here. It struck her as odd since the school's population was large, new students from rich families were constantly transferring to the school as soon as they could afford it. And these students were usually idly milling around every available space where somewhat more down-to-Earth people could be getting something constructive done.

"Good enough for me," Rei stopped at the door and listened, "Wait, I hear voices inside… you really want to go in?"

"Yeah, I do. If they're not other musicians than they're like all the other students here: loafing around. If it's the latter then someone's going to get a piece of my mind, I'm sick of this."

Rei couldn't disagree, and joined her friend in opening the double doors. What they found on the other side of the door may once have been a music room, but had lost all appearances of one. There was a lack of music stands, instruments, and anything related to music. There were, however, a variety of tables, chairs, chases, and loveseats of the highest quality being occupied by a gaggle of girls, all of whom were enraptured by seven examples of male beauty at its finest. The two girls just stood at the doorway and stared inside, not noticing the instrument cases dropping their hands.

Hearing the crash of the cases, one of the handsome creatures approached them congenially. He had dark hair, thin glasses, and sly eyes. "Welcome ladies," he said with a voice smoother than butter, "to the Host Club. I am Ootori Kyoya. I believe this your first time here?"

Both girls nodded vaguely, wondering where 'here' was. Surely they had stumbled down some rabbit hole. Surely this many beautiful men couldn't possibly exist in one place without some kind of dimensional rift or black hole appearing in consequence. Kyoya looked the girls over carefully. Shouri Rei, freshman, father's company sells components necessary to make everything from jets to missiles. Nekoike Hotaru, freshman, called 'Neko' by her friends, father recently broke huge international deal as private contractor in the technology sector. They went to the same school prior to transferring to Ouran. Nouveau riche, hardly worth Kyoya's time. Except… except, he recalled, that the Self Defense Force had recently put together a lucrative and rather quiet deal with both Shouri Corp. and the Nekoike Group to put their heads together to work on project classified by the government. Both could become huge names in business in the next several years. And the Ootori family never had enough friends who helped arm the militia.

Kyoya put on a charming smile. "The Host Club exists when the idle ladies of Ouran wish the company of an equally idle gentleman. We cover all the needs of our customers. The one on the sofa with the six girls and the roses is our King, Suou Tamaki." The girls surveyed a blond-haired, violet-eyed prince capturing the heart of a half-dozen girls. "If you are more of the loli-shouta type, Hunny-sempai will be happy to entertain you." There was a young-looking blond shoving a piece of cake into his mouth and then sharing some with his stuffed bunny. "Or," Kyoya continued, "If you are searching for something a little different, we have Mori-sempai, our wild-type." Several girls were sipping tea silently, staring admirably at a tall and toned young man. "But, if you're looking for some trouble, we have a devilish pair, Hikaru and Kaoru." He gestured toward a few tables crowded with giggling girls and two handsome identical faces. "If you're looking for natural charm, visit with Haruhi, our commoner." Short brown hair was combed above a feminine face and large innocent eyes.

"And I, of course, am a host as well. Pick any host you like and he will entertain you for an allowed time. The first time is free. Who would you like to be your hosts?"

The two girls looked at each other and then back at the stunning choices that lay before them. They then took a step back to talk in private. "What do you think? It's free, but after that we'll need to take money out of our allowances." Rei saw her bank account shriveling.

"I like the pretties," Neko said in a fog.

"I like the pretties too. They're like manga characters, I want them all. Oh god, how am I supposed to choose?"

"The little one is kind of cute but I'm not a child molester."

"That blonde haired guy looks like a foreigner."

"I think he's saying something in French…"

"The other black haired guy looks kind of scary."

"Mmm… scary… Am I the only one that thinks that brown haired guy looks kind of like a girl?"

"Well look at the shoes, you're the one who says the only sure-fire way to tell is the shoes they wear."

Neko looked at everyone's shoes, indeed they were all wearing men's shoes.

"I think I want to double my pleasure with those two," Rei announced to no one in particular, her eyes set on the twins.

Neko looked at the wild one, "Can I have him?"

"Excellent choices. You have an hour with us, enjoy your stay."

At that moment the clock struck three and a large majority of the girls ended their sessions with their hosts. Rei was seated on a sofa across from the pair of dreamboats, and Neko took a chair at the table with the tallest host.

"So," Rei said in an awkward attempt to start a conversation, "what do you normally do here?"

"Normally," Kaoru started, "the ladies like to talk…"

"And we listen," Hikaru finished for him.

"But when you're with the Hitachiin Brothers, we like to play games," they said together.

"Like what?" Rei asked with a smile, she liked them already.

"We have lots of games, don't we, Kaoru?" Hikaru asked with heavy intonations.

Kaoru blushed, "Hikaru, we said we wouldn't talk about _that_ here."

Oh yeah, Rei definitely liked them. A lot. Blood trickled down her nose.

"So," Neko said, "This is kind of like a party every afternoon?"

"Aa," was Mori's reply.

Neko melted a little on the inside at the sound of his deep voice. Little hearts appeared above her head. "So, Mori-sempai," she said, "I heard you do kendo, is that correct?"

"Aa," he said again.

The girl's heart started racing, she adored a man in uniform. "I watch it on TV sometimes, but I've never tried it. I'm more of an outdoors kind of girl. Do you do much camping, sempai?"

"Aa," he said. There was a pause, and then, "I go with my brother in the summer."

"Ever camp in Hokkaido? There's great canoeing up there."

"Aa," Mori said again, "My family has summer and winter houses in Hokkaido. Satoshi and I kayak when we're there." Mori's normally stoic face was alert with interest.

Hikaru and Kaoru lost no time in having Rei in fits of laughter. She felt like she had known them for years. They weren't like the other guys she had met so far at Ouran; snobby and stand-offish. They gave off a sense of relaxation and humor, and in that spirit Rei decided to get her money's worth, and promptly sat herself across the twins' laps. They shared a look of surprise.

Kyoya observed these unusual girls, making notes in his little black notebook.

Omake:

XellosRei: Hey there, this is Rei, the place where the ideas happen. I hope you have enjoyed this thus far. I hope to be able to keep writing and eventually put and end to this.

Neko: im neko i edit i maek it sund gud. i ish aw3som3 riting lolz!!1!1!1!!eleven1!! No seriously, the flourishes are all mine ;3


	2. Hooray for boobies!

Disclaimer: I'm not smart enough to come up with a story as captivating as Ouran High School Host Club, neither my editor nor I own this series or it's characters.

Chapter 2 Hooray for Boobies!

The next day couldn't have dawned any slower for the nouveau riche girls newly introduced to the Host Club. The sun was just beginning its slow rise into noticeable light and the girls were poised at a dining room table long enough to sit an army. The chairs had tall backs, adding a feel of great importance to a situation that most would find as anything but. To Neko and Rei, who were pouring over poorly drawn maps of classrooms, this moment was tantamount.

"Okay," Neko explained, "the twins sit here," she pointed to what was the back of the room in the picture, "with Haruhi in between."

"Moe… Haruhi really looks like a girl though."

"I doubt they'd let a girl into the Host Club."

"Yeah, why would a girl want to be a Host anyway?"

The two stared at the map, trying desperately to think up an idea that would allow them time with the Host Club hotties that didn't involve spending a lot of money.

"I want to see those twins," Rei moaned miserably, "They're so hot…"

"Well," Neko looked again at the map of their classroom, "It's going to be hard to talk to them in class since we sit way up in the front. We can ask some people if they'll switch desks with us."

"And then after we get chummy with them, we'll infiltrate the Host Club and hook you up with that scary sempai! Muwahahahaha!"

A timer on the table between them beeped. "Cake!" Neko jumped out of her chair excitedly.

Rei stopped the timer and followed her friend to the kitchen. "I can't believe you entered us into the baking contest."

"The prize," Neko explained conspiratorially, removing something from the oven. "It's all about the prize. 1,000,000 yen and if we win, we get to plan the dessert menu at school for the rest of the semester."

"Who cares about dessert?" She paused a moment. Rei smacked herself rather hard in the forehead, "Of course!"

"And take a guess which unusually short yet adorable sempai is a judge in the contest?"

Rei smiled wickedly and the girls frosted what they hoped would be their ticket to paradise.

Several hours later, after Rei and Neko had been given a short but stern lecture by the teacher about trying to change seats, class got under way. Rei kept glancing back at the boys who had swept her off her feet, and the questionable one in the middle. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something not quite right about that Haruhi.

After class was dismissed for lunch, Rei hurried to the back of the room. "Fujioka-kun," she said, addressing him before he (or the two gorgeous ones beside him) had gotten far. Neko, having no idea what was going on, was close behind.

"Oh, weren't you two in the Host Club yesterday?" Haruhi asked pleasantly.

"Yes," Rei tried not to blush as the twins shared a smirk.

"Did you need something?" Haruhi asked.

"There was something I didn't quite understand in class." She opened her textbook, "Here," she pointed, "I don't how this works. I was hoping you could explain it."

Haruhi looked congenially at the book, while Rei looked intensely at his chest. The Host began explaining a difficult concept from the day's lesson, and had barely gotten 16 words in when he experienced something entirely new. Rei's hand was touching him on the chest, feeling.

"Huh?" Haruhi said, looking down at the groping hand. Hikaru and Kaoru nearly jumped Rei, but it was too late.

It stood to reason that the wealthier the family, the more money the family members have to spend on their skin care and the less physically detrimental work they're forced to do. This is why, Rei knew, that rich boys are usually also pretty boys. When the shoe test failed, there was only sure-fire way to tell the difference between a guy and a girl. And now, Rei knew for sure.

"AH!"

The sound was coming from the doorway. There stood the Host King, Tamaki; his face frozen in horror. Something in his brain had snapped at the scene taking place in the almost empty classroom. In the dark recesses of his mind, an odd scene was playing. Haruhi's uniform blazer was unbuttoned, her necktie loosened. The other girl, Rei, was nuzzling Haruhi's neck and feeling her chest. The intimate scene running only in Tamaki's head caused a fair amount of smoke to pour from his ears.

"Nooooo!" he cried aloud, "Daddy won't allow it!"

The twins, Rei, Neko, and Haruhi all looked at him. Rei and Neko were bewildered, the twins were carrying annoyed expressions, and Haruhi looked clueless.

Rei removed her hand, demanding, "What the? You're a chick?"

Hikaru and Kaoru each grabbed a wrist of the new girls and pulled them into a close huddle. The twins hurriedly explained Haruhi's debt, the forcing of her to work, and the necessity of her secret. Neko listened intently in fascination, Rei half-listened, half-attempted to calm her heart, which was beating unusually fast in the close-quarters.

"So you can't tell anyone," Hikaru growled, "Otherwise…"

"There might be some punishment," Kaoru finished.

Neko pulled up out of the huddle and crossed her arms across her ample chest, "Seems to me," she said thoughtfully, "that you all are in no position to make demands."

Rei smirked playfully, "And I think we can handle a little bit of punishment. Did you have something specific in mind?"

A silence broke out between the four. At the door, Haruhi could be heard trying to pull Tamaki out of another one of his fantasy induced stupors.

"I came so we could each lunch together," the Host King was mumbling. "And now you're doing _that_ sort of thing."

Haruhi looked at him strangely. "_What_ sort of thing?"

But there was no answer to be had. More smoke poured from his head, and his jaw hung open a little.

Neko and Rei looked at Tamaki in confusion; this was the great Host King? This gibbering, slack-jawed idiot?

Kaoru seemed to read their minds. "That's our Tono," he said, amused, "he's unstoppable with women, but a lot of the time, he's like this."

"Well," Neko said, gathering her things into her bag, "this has been a very enlightening experience, but I'm afraid there's a certain culinary competition taking place in an hour, and if we don't get going, Rei and I won't be able to put the finishing touches on our little masterpiece."

Rei and Neko departed the room, walking with an air of accomplishment. Just before leaving the room, Rei turned, and with her wicked smile, gave the Hosts and wink and said, "We'll be seeing you, you can count on it!"

The rest of the school day had been cancelled in celebration of the school's Culinary Festival. Now, during a festival at a normal high school, clubs and circles would spend the day slaving to create mediocre dishes, which they would sell to the student body at a semi-reasonable price as a sort of fundraiser which also served to induce school spirit. There would be events, small shows, a couple of performances, and everyone would have fun and be grateful to be missing class. At a normal school. Ouran was, of course, anything but normal. Ouran's Annual Culinary Festival was a truly magnificent event. School clubs each chose a food theme, and invited the student body to take part in the club's activities. The food was exquisite (and catered of course). The best chefs from across the planet had been called in to take part. The club with the most student guests throughout the day would win a large cash prize. The club activities were the highlight of the Festival, though one notable event was the Baking Competition. Celebrity guest judges were brought in from everywhere, and students packed in the main hall where the judging was to take place just to get a glimpse of them. At the center of the judge's table was Haninozuka Mitsukuni, whose opinion could make or break someone's baking career. There were dozens of students in the contest, including members of the Culinary Club, who were the crowd's favorites to win. And there, at the far right in the line of competitors, were two nouveau riche girls, hoping their cake was a winner.

In the third music room, the Festival was underway, Host Club style. They had originally planned to have an Iron Chef-style competition, Hikaru and Kaoru vs. Mori and Hunny, with Tamaki as the emcee. But that was thrown out the window for the two valid reasons that 1) Hunny was going to be busy judging the baking contest and 2) No one in the Host Cub knew how to cook. The spectacle would have been nice though. Instead, the Club had settled on exotic desserts from around the world. The music room had been divided into several sections, each one representing a different country or region, and was decorated appropriately. Tamaki was strewn over a chaise in clothing that one might associate with an Egyptian god (lots of gold, no shirt), his customers dining on some sort of sweet dumpling. The twins were wearing tradition Thai clothing, feeding each other a kind of coconut covered mochi. Mori wore a half-buttoned shirt, gaucho pants tucked into boots, and a bandana around his forehead. His customers were quietly admiring his muscles and feasting on a little Brazilian dessert they couldn't pronounce. Haruhi was handing her customers tres leches cake whilst wearing a colorful sarape. And Kyoya, wearing a toga and laurels, served his customers some rather delectable baklava.

Kyoya was confident they raised a great deal of money during the festival. However, he spent the day plagued with the knowledge that the two new girls had learned their little club secret. From the sound of things, the club was certain to be blackmailed by the end of the day. While Kyoya had no qualms about using his family's secret police to keep the girls quiet, he couldn't ignore how useful they could be in terms of connections.

After the festivities were over, the Hosts were sitting around the music room, waiting to hear back from Hunny-sempai. Kyoya was just finishing counting up the money they had earned that day when the doors flew open. Hunny-sempai raced in, pulling two people in with him. It was a stunned Neko and Rei, who were carrying what little remained of their cake.

"Everyone!" Hunny said with a smile almost too big for his face, "Neko-chan and Rei-chan are gonna make cake for us from now on!"

Tamaki and the twins stood up at the same time. "What?!" the former demanded.

Hunny pushed the girls closer to the Hosts, who were starting to look worried (except Haruhi). "They won the baking contest," Hunny explained, "They had the best cake ever! I want them to bake for the Club from now on; they already said they'd do it!"

"We already have good cakes!" Tamaki protested, "We can't have... _that_ sort of thing going on here…" Tamaki Mind Theater was currently replaying the image of Rei groping Haruhi. Of course, in Tamaki Mind Theatre, things get a little steamy. The Host King's face was turning red, and no one had to guess what he was thinking (except maybe Haruhi, who tended to be a little clueless at times).

Hunny gave Tamaki a stern look. Were it anyone else, a stern look would be nothing special. But with Hunny, a stern look could make a grown man cry, which is what Tamaki felt like doing at the moment.

"Their cake is better," Hunny said, losing the cutesy tones; each word was pronounced clearly and dangerously. "I want their cake."

Kyoya approached the girls civilly and asked "Hunny-sempai asked you to bake for our club?"

The girls nodded.

"You know our club's secret," he said. "You won the baking competition, and therefore have the ability to manipulate Hunny-sempai via the school's dessert menu. You mean to tell me that while holding that much over our heads, you want to bake for us?"

Neko took a confident step forward. "Look," she said, "We could blackmail you. Easily."

"But," Rei continued for her, "isn't it better for everyone if it doesn't come to that? We like your club."

"We _really_ like your club," Neko added, glancing at Mori. "And we'd like to help out! Since we can't be Hosts, let us do what we can; baking."

"You met us once and you're that interesting in helping?" Hikaru asked suspiciously.

"Look," Rei said with exasperation, "this school is full of annoying people who only care about being liked or getting well-connected. You guys seem to be the only people who want to have a good time for the sake of genuine amusement."

"In other words," Neko concluded, "We'd like to be friends. Knowing what we know, it would only be a matter of time before Ootori-sempai sends his family's secret police after us." She gave him a knowing look. "We'd rather keep Fujioka-kun's secret and hang out with you guys."

"But you actually want to work?" Kaoru asked, confused.

"Well," Rei shrugged, "making oneself useful increases the likelihood of acceptance into a group…"

The Hosts stared at her blankly. "Never mind," Neko said, knowing there was no way anyone but Haruhi would understand.

Kyoya pulled his friends aside.

"They know Haruhi's secret," Kyoya said. "If we let them do this, we'll be able to keep a close eye on them, make sure they don't say anything."

"But… but… but…" Tamaki Mind Theater was playing again, "we can't have that, that _harlot_ in here, corrupting my precious daughter…"

"Think about it," Kyoya said quietly to Tamaki, "You always want Haruhi to be more feminine. Here are two girls who know Haruhi is a girl. They could be the feminine influence you've been waiting for…"

Hikaru nodded appreciatively. He couldn't object to Haruhi being a little more feminine. In the Host King's head, Tamaki Mind Theater changed channels. He suddenly had a vision of the new girls, Neko and Rei, with Haruhi, all in cute frilly pink aprons. They were frosting a cake together, giggling happily. Haruhi had a ribbon in her hair. Tamaki liked the vision. Until somehow Haruhi got some icing on her cheek, and Rei leaned in to lick it off.

"No!" he yelled loudly, scaring everyone in the room, "Daddy won't allow it!"

Kyoya sighed at their leader's incompetence. "We'll be able to keep an eye on them, and Hunny-sempai will get his cake." _And I get solid family connections_, he mentally added to himself. "Are there any legitimate objections to having those two around?"

If anybody had any, they were unable to voice them under Hunny's dangerous glare. "It's settled then," Kyoya said, smiling pleasantly. He waved the girls over to the group.

"Welcome to the Host Club," he said with a small bow, "there will, of course, have to be some restrictions. We are a business of sorts, and it would be best if your coming and going does not interrupt our customers."

"Of course," Neko said.

"But we can work out those details later," Kyoya continued, "in the mean time, make yourselves comfortable."

Neko and Rei sat themselves on a couch, feeling victorious and excited, and at the same time, immensely awkward since they didn't really know the Hosts very well. They hadn't planned this far.

Hunny climbed up on the couch with them and began talking excitedly about what kind of desserts he liked.

"I don't get it," Hikaru said out of the blue, "why would you choose work over extortion?"

"Isn't blackmail easier?" Kaoru asked.

"Just because it's easy doesn't make it right," Neko said.

"Yeah, but-"

"It's not their style," Kyoya interrupted. "People unaccustomed to wealth and power are more comfortable relying on their own talent rather than force."

"What does that mean?" Tamaki asked, half-intrigued, half-lost.

"It means," Kyoya said, his eyes glinting, "that before Nekoike-san and Shouri-san came to Ouran, they were… commoners."

"Is that true?!" Tamaki practically yelled.

"That's one way of putting it," Rei replied irritably.

Roses appeared around Tamaki's head. Hope lived after all! While he was terrified that the raven-haired harlot might corrupt his precious daughter, they were commoners! Commoners! Here were two young ladies that Haruhi could relate to, people that Haruhi had things in common with. They were sure to become good friends, and they could influence Haruhi to become more feminine!

Tamaki produced two red roses and presented them to the new girls on one knee. "Welcome to the Host Club, lovely ladies. Please take care of my daughter."

Neko and Rei looked at one another in complete confusion. Kyoya jotted a few more notes in his little black notebook.


	3. The Pirate Attacks Host Club!

Disclaimer: We don't own the original story. We don't own the characters from the story. Please don't sue us, we have no money anyway.

Chapter 3: The Pirate Attacks Host Club!

A week had passed and the nouveau riche girls had settled into a routine of working with the Host Club. A partial kitchen had been installed in one of the music room's backrooms. Why a music room had backrooms was neither sensible nor largely important to the plot. Suffice it to say that the school's original designer was an odd person with a sense of adventure and a fondness for nooks and crannies. The point is that music rooms at Ouran High School were full of surprises and just enough backroom to install a partial kitchen.

Neko and Rei spent their study period baking cakes, cookies, and various other treats. Kyoya was able to give the girls a good estimate of how much they'd need to make for the club each day, and they had invested a portion of the Baking Contest prize money into baking supplies. As soon as the last class ended, they bustled over to the third music room's backroom to begin the decoration of the goodies. Appearances were of great importance at Ouran High School, and even food being served in the school's clubs was expected to be of the highest quality and aesthetically pleasing. That being the case, Neko and Rei put great care into decorating their baked goods. After the first round of cake was served, the girls were free to do whatever they wanted, so long as it didn't interrupt business. This meant, as Kyoya explained, that Rei and Neko were allowed to mingle with the Hosts under the conditions that 1) the Host had no customers at the time, and 2) the Host felt like hanging out with them. The former condition was fairly infrequent, though when there was a break in the action, the latter condition usually wasn't a problem. After the last customer had left, the nouveau riche usually emerged from the kitchen and gave Hunny whatever dessert was leftover, and if their homework situation wasn't bad, they hung around for awhile with the Hosts.

And so for the first week the girls worked hard, and found that the short time they got to spend with the Hosts was worth it. There was just one little problem…

"I don't get it!" Rei snapped as she shoved a cake pan into the oven. "Why does she get all the attention? The twins won't leave her alone, Tamaki-sempai has some backward, up-side-down Oedipus thing for her, and Kyoya-sempai is always jotting little notes about her. Am I missing something?"

"Give it time," Neko said patiently as she pressed cookie dough onto a baking sheet.

"And you're not getting anywhere with Scary-sempai because the only Host attention we're getting is from-"

"Rei-chan! Neko-chan!" Hunny came bounding into the backroom, stuffed bunny in tow. "We're going to run out of sweets soon. What are you making now?"

Neko explained the complicated layering process of her aunt's special caramel brownies. Hunny told her that Usa-chan was pleased. This the girls found to be odd, but since Hunny was adorable, they figured it was okay.

"Didja hear?" Hunny asked them. "About the new transfer student?"

"Not really," Rei answered. "Is there something special about this one?" There usually wasn't, in her opinion.

Hunny gave a cute conspiratorial look, "Yes! I heard he's a-"

Hunny was cut off by the sound of shattering glass. The trio dashed into the main room to see a tall, scruffy young man standing in a windowsill, apparently having just crashed in through a window; the rope he had swung in on was still in his hand. The young man wore a tattered Ouran uniform, big black boots, and a belt with a large gold buckle. Topping off his outrageous ensemble was leather hat complete with long feather sticking out.

"Let me guess," Neko said to Hunny. "The new guy is a pirate?"

Mori had leapt up and stood ready to defend the Club and its customers from this new intruder, who paid him no mind.

The pirate surveyed the room. "Which of you be Suou Tamaki? I've come to challenge the King!"

Tamaki stepped forward. "I'm the Host King. What do you want?"

The new student stepped out of the windowsill and onto solid floor. "I've come to challenge ye," he said. "From what I hear tell ye be the one the entire school be beholden to. As a leader of men meself it be me duty to challenge ye to a duel. A duel between men!"

"What are the stakes?" Kyoya asked, causing several surprised heads to turn his way. Kyoya had known for two weeks that this strange lad would be transferring to Ouran, and as usual, Kyoya had done his homework. The new student's name was Bradwen Tobikaze, the half-English, half-Japanese son of a famous European-based aeronautical innovation company. His family designed and built anything that could be made to fly, and had made serious money during the Second World War. While wildly successful, they were also known for eccentricity, and rumor had it that young Bradwen was the strangest of them all.

"The stakes," Bradwen said, "be this. If it be you that emerge victorious I'll acknowledge ye as the greatest leader of men that ever did walk the green Earth, sail the high seas, or take flight to the Heavens."

At such illustrious words, a light snapped on in Tamaki's head. He imagined himself as all of those things, and each one would earn him the adoration of Haruhi. "You're on!" he accepted.

"Don't you want to hear what happens if you loose?" asked Haruhi, the Voice of Reason.

"Doesn't matter," Tamaki said with stars in his eyes, "I'll be the greatest leader of men, Host King of the high seas and the Heavens!"

Bradwen crossed his arms and grinned widely, "And if I be the victor, ye and all ye club will serve as part of me pirate crew! Sailors under the great Captain Bradwen Tobikaze!"

Several jaws fell to the floor, Tamaki's included. _Why, oh why,_ thought many in the room, _do things like this always happen?_

"This was a mistake," Kyoya leapt immediately into Mr. Fix-It mode, "Tamaki can't represent all of the club-"

"Are ye backing down?" Bradwen challenged.

Tamaki wiped the pale shock off of his face, straightened himself, and puffed out his chest. "No. I don't go back on my word. You said this would be a fight between men, so be it." The Hosts were mildly impressed with the grit in their King's tone, the firm resolve on his face.

Kyoya wasn't impressed. He was annoyed. The clamor would be good for business, but loosing the whole club to a transfer student in a most unkempt uniform would mean a lot more work for him. "What will you duel with?" he asked, hoping to get it over with quickly.

Bradwen smirked, "Since this be a fight between men, let us fight like true men, in the oldest, most revered method known to mankind."

Tamaki braced himself for guns, sabers, canons, fists, and anything else a pirate could conjure up to decide their fate.

"ROCK PAPER SCISSORS!" Bradwen announced proudly.

The crowd once again commenced the dropping of jaws. Kyoya sighed at the ridiculous spectacle.

The air in the room became heavy and a hush fell over the bystanders. There was tension between the Host King and invading pirate.

"Best out of three," Tamaki said in a steely voice.

"Saisho wa guu…" Bradwen began the ritual.

And with a great flourish of arms, the two contenders thrust their fingers forward yelling "JAN KEN PON!"

Bradwen 1, Tamaki 0. The stunning use of Rock by the pirate crushed Tamaki's Scissors.

"JAN KEN PON!"

Bradwen 1, Tamaki 1. Bradwen's attempt to use Scissors was crushed by Tamaki's Rock.

"JAN KEN PON!"

If the room wasn't already quiet, a stunned silence would have fallen over it.

"Did that just happen?" Neko whispered to Rei.

"I think it did…" Rei replied. "I think Tamaki-sempai just… um… lost the club to a crazy pirate."

Bradwen's Paper toppled Tamaki's Rock, and the Host King found himself stricken in a corner, horrified at his own failure.

The victorious pirate laughed heartily. "HahahaHA! Come, my new crew, bring these fine women and we'll board my ship! It be the finest ship ever built!"

"Ship?" Hikaru grumbled. "Big deal. All of our families have yachts. I think Kyoya's has a cruise liner, if not an aircraft carrier by now."

Bradwen grinned larger than before, "Mistake me not, yachts be fine vessels, aye, but I didn't say my ship was made for the seas."

"What kind of ship is it then?" Haruhi asked.

"An airship."

"AIRSHIP?" Chorused Tamaki, the twins, Hunny, and the baking girls.

"Aye," Bradwen replied excitedly, "Tis the latest technological aeronautical innovation. I landed on the roof. Come now ye scurvy dogs, to the ship!"

A short time later, the Host Club members were decked out in buckles, bandanas, boots, and a bundle of jewelry. The Club customers who had tagged along for the adventure (as well as Rei and Neko) bore bodices, skirts, and colorful scarves. They all met on the roof, and lifted off on the strangest, yet most amazing ship ever conceived by man. The underside of the ship was curved and smooth like a Zeppelin, but with giant protruding propellers. The deck of the ship was an updated version of a caravel, with steel masts and giant sails made out of some kind of metallic fabric. Bradwen's face was alight as he explained how it all worked.

After Bradwen gave his new crew and the accompanying lasses a tour, he broke down their new responsibilities.

"Ye with the notebook," he pointed to Kyoya, "ye are hereby named First Mate. Tall one, ye are the bosun. You two with the same face, ye can be me cabin boys."

"What about me? What about me?" Hunny asked eagerly.

Bradwen looked at him hard. There was a long pause as he considered. "Mascot," he decided.

Hunny tossed Usa-chan up in the air and caught the bunny again. "Wai!"

Rei and Neko were designated as cooks, Haruhi was asked to double-check the rigging and then swab the decks. The Club customers were allowed to do what they do best; mill about aimlessly and consume the foodstuffs brought out by the baking girls.

"And the Host King," Bradwen assigned Tamaki last, "need be given a job most important to everyone on the ship."

"Co-Captain?" Tamaki ventured hopefully.

"Toilet-scrubber!" Bradwen declared with yet another boisterous laugh.

An invisible anvil dropped on Tamaki's head, and he fled to the safety of a dark corner where he cried.

"Sempai," Haruhi said in sympathetic tones, "it's not as bad as it sounds; I'm sure." Finding him unresponsive, she continued, "Try and think of it as a chance to try something new. Every time we try something new, we find out more and more what we're capable of. We learn and grow and over time, we can achieve more than we ever thought possible. So why not show everyone that you're capable of anything you put your mind to?"

The onlooking girls sighed with rapture at Haruhi-kun's natural charm and way with words. Tamaki looked up at Haurhi with enlightened eyes.

"Yes," he cried, "I'll do it! I won't back down from this challenge, because I can do anything if I put my mind to it!"

And so the Host Club spent an afternoon in the sky, the customers gushing over the view. When all cooking was over, Rei cleaned herself up and joined the twins, who were making up devious pirate games to play on deck. Neko strolled around looking for something to do, preferably something involving the ship's new bosun.

After swabbing the deck, Haruhi went to find Tamaki. She was fairly certain she'd find him with a bucket in one hand, scrub brush in the other, looking utterly confused. She found him below deck, furiously cleaning toilets in the men's bathroom. His brow was furrowed in concentration and his hand moved as fast as lightning with a yellow sponge, bubbles flying everywhere.

"Do you need any help?" Haruhi asked. She felt kind of sorry for him. Tamaki has probably never cleaned a toilet in his life. He had probably never cleaned anything in his life.

"No thanks," Tamaki replied, "I'm almost done." He wiped sweat from his forehead with a shirt sleeve.

Haruhi raised an eyebrow, impressed with his determination. "When you're done, we'll all be on deck."

Tamaki barely even nodded so deep was his concentration on the toilets.

On deck there was carousing abound. Party food was being eaten, there was music coming from somewhere, and non-alcoholic beverages were being toasted. Tamaki cleaned himself up after completing his task, and walked proudly onto the deck, joining his fellow pirate in a rousing song of Defying Gravity.

The merriment dimmed as the sun began to set. The Club customers watched the stunning sundown, but Hikaru and Kaoru, being who they were, began griping about still being on the ship.

"So how long do we have to stay here?" Hikaru asked of their pirate captain.

Kaoru chimed in. "Because it was fun at first, but now it's getting kind of-"

"Boring," they said in unison and without mercy.

The word boring rang through Bradwen's head, causing his enthusiasm to drop like a lead balloon. Like all people who are subjects of their own hobbies, he never once imagined that other people wouldn't get endless joy from his airship, as he did.

"We can't stay up here forever," Haruhi reasoned logically, "we all have classes tomorrow, and our families will get worried if we don't come home."

And thus, Bradwen's dream vanished into the same the same thin air his ship sailed through. He leaned on the rail, looking sadly out over an endless sky. "So, 'twas not but a fading dream… to have a great ship and a crew to sail her…"

Perhaps it was the magic of the approaching twilight, but the way the light fell on Bradwen's disappointed face created a great sense of both comradery and injustice in Tamaki. He couldn't stand to see a person with such passion so crestfallen.

"No," Tamaki asserted, "it's not just a fading dream." Everyone looked at the Host-King-turned-toilet-scrubber. "There'll come a day when you can be free to sail however you like. It's just not now. You have your ship, you'll find a crew; a better crew than us. But right now, we need to be in school. We need to learn. And the more we learn, the more we'll be capable of doing. And one day, we'll be capable of doing more than we ever thought possible. You'll be the best pirate in the whole world! But until then, why not join _my_ crew?"

"What?!" the Hosts chorused.

Tamaki continued. "Join my crew, and we can do anything! Not even the sky is the limit! Become a Host with me!"

The cranking of a high-powered motor was heard, as some of the floor of the deck rose up, revealing Houshakuji Renge, donning pirate clothing, laughing loudly.

"OHOHOHOHO! Don't you worry," she said, "I'll make this pirate into Host material in no time!"

Before Bradwen had a chance to decline or accept the Host King's offer, Renge threw him into a chair.

"Tamaki-san!" she barked. "Bring a razor and scissors. Mori-sempai, find some normal clothing. Haruhi-kun, see if you can locate a toothbrush. Go!"

Customers looked on in anticipation as Renge worked her otaku magic on the pirate captain. After thirty minutes of flying clothing and a bit of yelling, Renge presented the newest Host.

"I give you Bradwen," she said proudly, "the Rogue-type Host! Thief of a Thousand Hearts!"

Bradwen had his hair combed and split-ends cut. His scruffy face had been given a clean shave, and he wore a freshly pressed school uniform. It was amazing what small changes can do. Bradwen had gone from unkempt pirate to dashing Host in less than an hour. His long hair and scoundrel's smile would no doubt live up to Renge's improvised title.

Bradwen rolled the words in his head. Rogue Host. Thief of a Thousand Hearts. He liked it. He looked Tamaki in the eyes. "I accept! I'll join your crew. Onward! Back to Ouran!"

The new Host grabbed the wheel and steered his beloved ship toward a new future.


	4. The Prince of Parties!

So in the interest of continuing the story Rei has decided to add filler!! Remember, we only own three characters in the entire story, the rest belong to someone with a lot more talent than us, obviously.

Chapter 4 The Prince of Parties!

After his dynamic entrance into the Host Club, it was decided by the Club (namely Tamaki) that a proper welcoming party was in order for the newest Host. Not able to pass up the chance to entertain the lovely ladies of Ouran and hold frivolous festivities, the Host King announced a great feast was to be held. His choice of a gloriously elegant sit-down dinner probably had something to do with a catering brochure left on his desk by a certain Shadow King.

Although the feast was indeed to be catered by the most elite and expensive catering service, it was unanimously decided (by Hunny) that the deserts would be hand-made by the Host's own baking girls. Rei and Neko spent a week preparing, even skipping class to put the finishing touches on their delightful deserts. It was serious work, but they felt it was worth it because it meant they could attend the party free of charge. It was a great chance for them to get closer to the Host Club hotties.

Transforming the third music room into a grand dining room was no easy task, but with a lot of money and cheap labor, anything can be done during normal school hours. Workers bustled in and out, changing the normally classy music room into a spectacular dining hall. Great white tapestries with gold embroidery were added, and a marvelous (temporary) chandelier of fine glass and pearl was hung at the center of the room. The small chairs and tables where the Hosts usually entertained were removed and replaced with a 17th century Italian hand-carved oak table and matching chairs. Each place at the table had more plates and bowls than a normal person needs in a whole day, much less in one meal. Waiters in finely pressed tuxedos were lined up, ready to take orders. It was the most extravagant meal the nouveau riche girls had ever seen.

"I can't believe that Kyoya-sempai is letting us come to this!" Rei exclaimed while waiting to be seated.

Neko tapped her foot excitedly, "This is going to be so be worth skipping math..."

They had to hide their disappointment however, when they were seated on either side of Bradwen, who was at the end of the table. They had specifically requested to be seated close to Mori and the Hitachiin brothers.

"We got screwed," Neko whispered to her friend.

"No kidding..." The two settled half-heartedly in their seats, predicting a long night with the weird newcomer, who was building something out of dinner rolls that had been placed near him on the table.

The two girls decided to make the most of the situation and initiate polite dinner conversation to lighten the mood. "So… Bradwen… are you enjoying this school?" Neko started.

Bradwen looked up at her, tilting his head ever so slightly. "Aye. Other than that Renge lass making me shave and trim me hair. But more adventure awaits us as our journey together unfolds!"

Neko and Rei exchanged glances and it became Rei's turn to ask a question; "Um… what are you making out of dinner rolls?"

"This shall be a giant butter powered mecha. Alas! If only I had more bread… are ye going to be eating that?"

Neko passed Bradwen her roll as the conversation became very awkward.

"I don't think that's poss-" Rei started and was interrupted by Tamaki, who stood up at the other end of the table and tapped his glass.

"I propose a toast to our new Host, Bradwen. May our friendships and fortunes blossom in the limitless future!"

Everyone raised their glasses to Bradwen then began their refined dining. Bradwen studied his silverware oddly. The look on his face indicated that he had never seen so many forks and knives in the same place other than the silverware drawer.

Bradwen whispered to Neko, "Why be there so many forks and knives? Look, I've four spoons here!"

"I guess they think you need a different one for each dish. Rei and I are pretty new to this whole rich thing, we never use this much stuff at home."

Rei poked at her food with the first fork she picked up. She was lost in thought, which went a little something like this: _Hmm, how can I get over to those twins? I know I could talk to them if I could make it to the other side of the table. There are loads of things we could talk about; fun commoner games, that joke I heard yesterday, their psychological manipulation of Tamaki-sempai, cake… _

Neko looked longingly down the table at Mori (and subsequently Hunny). _All I have to do, _she thought_, is get up, offer Hunny-sempai some cake, and… THE CAKE!!_

The bakers shared a panicked look; they had forgotten the cake! Tamaki had hatched a crazy plan that involved him bursting out of a giant cake to surprise Bradwen. The girls were supposed to meet the Host King shortly after the toast, but they had been feeling so down after they didn't get the seats they wanted, they had forgotten that they were supposed to help him into the hollowed out cake. They reluctantly looked at Kyoya for the first time that evening. He gave them one of his patented smiles that most people would find charming, but those who really got to know him found kind of scary. He tapped his watch significantly. The girls gulped and dashed to the kitchen where Tamaki was waiting.

The cake was at least six feet in height, hollowed in the center and open at the top. Mori assisted Tamaki into the cake (he tossed the Host King inside). The girls added the top piece to the cake and covered the seam with some extra icing. The whole thing was wheeled out on a cart, and Kyoya rose to make what would have been a small and polite speech about cooperation and entertainment. He was, however, interrupted by a small, flying yellow thing. At the sight of a giant cake, Hunny had launched himself across the room and began eating with the ferocity of a rabid bunny.

"Perhaps I should have told Hunny-sempai about the surprise," Kyoya mused aloud as Tamaki busted from the top of the cake only to find Hunny attached to the side of the cake.

Bradwen was speechless. He appeared deeply touched that someone would come out of a giant cake that was being attacked by a small boy. Everyone else at the table began laughing, but Bradwen stood up with fire in his eyes.

"Twas bravery that put this man into this cake! In all me years of pirating, never would I have been able to survive being put in a cake and devoured by a small lad! I owe Tamaki me deepest thanks for saving me from this creature." Bradwen went up to Tamaki and shook his hands, "I hereby promote ye from Toilet Scrubber to First Mate!"

Tamaki was moved to tears by the rogue's words, "I will be the greatest first mate you've ever had!"

"Nothing will stop our voyage with these fine ladies!"

"Neither wind nor rain…"

"Neither scoundrel nor peasant…."

The Host Club decided to adjourn the dinner early. The King and Rogue hosts were on a soapbox of drama with no end in sight. The guests filtered out, and workers broke down the room to its normal state. The remaining hosts and baking girls lounged and waited.

"Check it out," Hikaru said to the girls, "If you say a word loud enough for them to hear, they'll end up saying in their crazy babbling."

"It's pretty amusing," Kaoru added. And then in a louder voice he said: "Horse!"

"With the power of a thundering herd of horses we shall set forth into an unending future!" Tamaki declared, sparkling more than usual.

Rei blinked twice. "That's amazing. He's really easily influenced, isn't he?"

"You have no idea," Kaoru winked at her.

"It's a shame these sweets are going to waste," Hunny mentioned in between mouthfuls of cake.

"Well, we know that you'll do your best not to let that happen, Hunny-sempai. Right?" Neko directed her question at Mori, who nodded with a small smile that made her blush.

The sparkling hosts continued their rambling, aided by random words from the peanut gallery. It was a fine party after all.


	5. A Day at the Fair!

Disclaimer: More filler

Disclaimer: More filler. I'm to busy to create chapters with more plot, just like real series creators.

I wish I owned these characters, I really do…

Chapter 5: A Day at the Fair

Neko and Rei ran as fast as they could into the third music room. Their actual entrance into the room was hindered somewhat when Neko only opened one of the double doors, which made passage for two people difficult. After much frustrated flailing the duo squeezed themselves through the door, running right into Tamaki who was knocked over with the girls on sprawled on top. He laughed playfully in the same way that a father might laugh when being tackled by his small child.

"My, aren't we excited?" exclaimed Tamaki in the paternal tone he often used with Haruhi.

Rei and Neko removed themselves from Tamaki and the floor and held up a dirty, tattered sign. "Tamaki-sempai!" Rei began excitedly. "The town Neko-chan and I used to live is having a festival tonight. We thought everyone might enjoy a normal-people festival after club."

"A commoner festival, huh?" Tamaki mused with an interested look in his eye.

"Yeah, your typical festival with fireworks and everything. And there will be tons of commoner food there." Neko added to sweeten the deal.

"It's decided! Tonight the Host Club will go to a commoner festival!" Tamaki decreed.

After the club's usual antics were done for the afternoon, they explored the costume room for things to wear that night. Since they were usually occupied in the kitchen, Neko and Rei had never seen the costume room. The girls never questioned the existence of a costume room within a music room in the same way no one questioned a lot of the strange things about the club. The room was an enormous walk-in closet and changing room in one. There were racks of elaborate clothing, shelves of shoes, and drawers of accessories. It gave the feeling of being backstage on a movie set; if the film was about medieval vampire pirate samurai living as police officers in Bali.

After selecting some rather elegant yukata from the wardrobe, Kyoya phoned his driver to pick them up. On the long car ride, the girls had mixed feelings about the situation. While they were secretly rejoicing that Tamaki had listened to their idea, and that they would get to spend time with the hosts outside school, they also realized that getting the guys they liked alone would probably be impossible. The Host Club was such a unified group, becoming part of it felt trying to break through a concrete wall with a spoon.

_Patience_, Neko thought, _we gotta have patience_. She sighed inaudibly at how handsome the Hosts looked tonight. Hunny wore a light pink yukata with yellow flowers; the most adorable thing the girls had ever seen. A royal violet yukata with light purple spirals matched Tamaki's eyes perfectly. Kyoya looked dashing in a black yukata with silver embroidery. The twins wore matching yukata of a cream color with vertical brown stripes, which Rei found incredibly attractive. Mori's yukata was dark green with bamboo printing, making Neko weak at the knees. The newest host wore a black yukata with elegant printing of birds ("Birds like to fly, I like to fly" he had explained). Haruhi, much to the baking girl's surprised, had been pressed by the twins into wearing a girl's yukata. It was a warm orange color with black printing of flowers. The twins had gone so far as to hide her normally boyish hair beneath a long wig of dark brown hair, which had been pulled up with a classy flower hairpin. Upon seeing Haruhi dressed as her own gender for the first time, the baking girls could understand a little more why so many of the Host boys were infatuated with her; she was actually incredibly cute. For herself, Rei chose a black yukata with red flowers. Neko had selected brown with leaf printings. Rei had commented that it didn't go well with her hair, but agreed that since it matched thematically with Mori's, that it was okay. The twins had been kind enough to help with their hair and make-up after they did Haruhi's, so overall, they were seven stunning guys and three glamorous girls. Even if the bakers weren't exactly part of the Host Club's in-group, it would still be nice spending the evening with them. Stepping out of the limo at the festival caused a lot of heads to turn, and the nouveau riche girls felt their cheeks redden a little. Hushed voices around them gushed about such good looking young people, speculating that they must be movie stars.

Tamaki decided that they would all sample from the first food booth that they came across. Much to Rei's disappointment, it was takoyaki; fried octopus dumplings topped with an okonomiyaki sauce. Everyone ordered a helping and munched on it slowly, the rich hosts trying to decide if they thought its rich sauces were comparable to the fine cuisine they dined on each day.

"You didn't order any?" Hikaru asked Rei.

"I'm not a fan of takoyaki," Rei admitted. "I gag on it everytime."

The twins shared a glance and sprung into action. Hikaru grabbed Rei's arms from behind, and Kaoru grabbed Rei's jaw, pushing her mouth open and forcing one of the dumplings in. She bit down in surprise, and immediately regretted it. She freed herself from Hikaru's grasp and spat the takoyaki into a bush. Haruhi rushed to her side and patted her back as Rei continued to gag. Hikaru and Kaoru were practically rolling on the ground laughing.

When Rei caught her breath she kicked them both in the shins. "Very funny guys, laugh at the girl as she chokes."

Haruhi gave her a sympathetic look, "Rich people are so twisted sometimes…"

"No kidding," Rei was learning the truth of that the more time she spent at Ouran. "Neko-chan and I-" She cut herself off as she realized that Neko was no longer around. In fact, neither was any of their group.

"They must not have noticed what was happening," Haruhi reasoned, "and continued on without us."

The twins recovered from their laughter. "It's probably better this way," said Kaoru.

"No baka-tono to slow down our fun!" Hikaru concluded.

Rei suddenly didn't care about the nasty taste lingering in her mouth; she was practically alone with the twins! Just her and Hikaru and Kaoru, and Haruhi, and the hundreds of other people at the festival. Okay, so she wasn't even close to being alone with them, but for her, this was good enough.

Tamaki was in search of what he had taken to calling the "King of Commoner Food"; the most delicious and abundant dish at the festival. To have a true commoner experience, he wanted to know what the one dish was that commoners would most desire to eat at a festival. He stopped every few minutes and asked a random girl what her favorite dish there was, and then ran around finding the food booth mentioned. It was no wonder that it took some time before they realized some of their group was missing.

Neko had noticed pretty quickly actually, but couldn't bring herself to say anything and deny her best friend the chance to spent some quality time with the twins. She was sure Kyoya had probably noticed right away too, but something told her that he found the situation amusing, and so didn't say anything either.

"Look!" Tamaki cried excitedly. "That booth there is having a yakitori eating contest! Mori-sempai, you should enter, the winner is supposed to get a nice prize. It's what commoners do."

"I'll cheer you on, Takashi!" Hunny said brightly.

Mori wordlessly took up the challenge, and sat himself at a picnic table with half a dozen other competitors. Plates piled high with skewered chicken were set out and someone yelled start.

Though Tamaki and Bradwen (and Neko especially) were cheering Mori on loudly, Hunny heard a sound that attracted his attention. A man was wheeling a freezer cart around, ringing a little bell as he went. The side of his cart had a strawberry decal and the words "Strawberry Mochi Ice Cream."

"I'll be right back!" Hunny said to his fellow Hosts, who were doing everything but listening. He pushed through the ever-growing crowd, and found himself always a few steps behind the cart. When he finally caught up to it, he purchased a large amount of the small ice cream confection. As he popped the second mochi into his mouth he came to a sudden realization: he didn't recognize his surroundings. He was totally lost.

"It's really hard to find people at festivals like this," Rei explained, "We might as well just have fun and worry about finding them after the fireworks, otherwise we'll spend the whole time just searching." Rei had a lot of experience at this sort of thing; she and Neko were always getting into these kinds of situations, that was their kind of luck.

"And if we were with Tamaki-sempai, he'd probably get us all involved in a silly quest of some kind." Haruhi laughed.

The foursome walked around looking at various things; plastic masks, fans, food, and at last, everyone's eyes settled at one spot; the games.

The twins' eyes lit up at the sight of a shooting game. "Why don't we have a shoot out?" Hikaru suggested. "The losers have to address the winner as 'prince' or 'princess' for the rest of the festival."

They all agreed and paid the man at the stall. The goal of the game was to knock down as many plastic toys lined up in the target area as you could with a pellet gun. After they had each taken their turn, Hikaru stood proudly holding a large white teddy bear with a blue ribbon.

"Where did you learn to shoot like that, Prince Hikaru?" Haruhi was quite impressed. "You were amazing!"

"It was nothing," Hikaru said, scratching his cheek.

"So what are you going to do with the teddy?" Rei asked. "I can't see you sleeping with a stuffed animal."

"Well it's none of your business," Hikaru blushed and looked away from Haruhi.

Rei shrugged and checked her watch. "Hey, it's almost time for the fireworks. We should go find a nice spot to watch, we might even find the others there; most people gather up in the same area." Rei pointed out a clearing where people were slowly making their way towards.

Mori had easily won the eating contest, astounding the people in the audience as he cleared plate after plate of chicken. The audience had cheered when he was named victor. When he rejoined his friends, Neko was just explaining that they should head to the clearing to watch the fireworks.

"The fireworks will start soon. We should pick a spot and sit down, I'm sure Mori-sempai would like to rest after that ordeal." Neko said to the group.

"The view would be much better from me airship," Bradwen remarked.

"That's a great idea!" Tamaki exclaimed. "We should think about that for next time!"

"Is something wrong, Sempai?" Neko asked Mori, who was looking around with a worried expression.

"Where's Mitsukuni?" Mori asked.

Everyone looked around. They didn't see the unusually small sempai or his stuffed bunny.

"Why don't Mori and I go look for him and you guys head to the clearing." Neko said in a take-charge tone. "It shouldn't take too long; he couldn't have gotten far. We'll meet back with you guys once we found Hunny-sempai."

"Ah," Mori agreed.

Rei had found the perfect spot to watch the fireworks. There was a little hill in the woods near the festival, and an opening in the canopy of trees was perfect for watching the night sky. It was, in fact, a make-out spot for young people on normal evenings, but with so many people around for the festival, that could lead to some awkward situations. So tonight the spot was open for Rei to be almost alone with the twins.

Hikaru was pointing out some stars to Haruhi, and Kaoru was taking an uncharacteristic backseat. Intrigued by the very idea of the twins acting separately, Rei questioned Kaoru.

"What's up, Kaoru? I don't think I've ever seen you this distant from Hikaru."

Kaoru shrugged. "I don't want to get in the way. He really likes her you know."

"Well so do you…" Rei said with a knot in her stomach.

Kaoru stared at the raven-haired girl. _Women's intuition_, he thought, _is kind of freaky._

He scratched the back of head, almost embarrassed. "Well, he's my brother, so I want him to be happy."

"But what about your happiness?"

Kaoru sighed and tried to explain. "If it's something that will help Hikaru grow as a person, then it's worth sacrificing what I want for. He can be such a little kid sometimes…"

"You're an idiot," Rei said with no great amount of tact.

"What?"

"You're an idiot," she repeated. "Do you really think that's what Hikaru wants? Do you think he'd be happy knowing that you value your happiness less than his? I'm not an expert or anything, but I would think that Hikaru would want you to be yourself and pursue what you want. Actually, I would think that he'd be pretty mad if he realized you were using him as an excuse. You really want him to grow as a person? Stop protecting him and let him experience everything life has to offer."

Kaoru said nothing, and Rei continued. "If you _really_ like Haruhi, then you'll go after her despite your brother's feelings. But there isn't only one path toward happiness. I'm sure if you look hard enough, you'll find the right person to make you happy without compromising your brother. You don't find happiness, Kaoru, it finds you."

Bright mushroom clouds of light erupted in the sky as Neko and Mori ran through the festival grounds. The streets weren't as crowded since everyone had gathered to watch the fireworks, but Neko was still having a hard time keeping up with Mori.

"Mori-sempai," she said, panting. "Let's slow down a little. Hunny-sempai is probably-" Neko didn't finish her sentence, however, as she tripped and took a nosedive into the dirt.

"Are you alright?"

Neko looked up; Mori was standing above her. "Yeah," she grunted as she sat up. "The strap of my geta broke and I lost my balance. I'm not hurt or anything. Give me sec and I'll fix this…" She pulled out the ribbon holding her hair up, tied one end of it to the broken strap, looped it through the hole in the sandal, and tied it off at the top.

"There we go!" she said, declaring her temporary fix complete. She was attempting to stand when Mori held out a hand. Her heart made a _ba-bump_ sound as she took the hand and was helped to her feet.

"I was thinking," she said as she dusted herself off, "there are a couple of booths all grouped together near the festival's west entrance that sell nothing but sweets. You can smell the crepe batter and roasted almonds from far away. I'll bet anything that when we got separated from Hunny-sempai, he followed his sweet-tooth there."

Mori turned to find this group of booths, but stopped when Neko grabbed his wrist.

"I know you're worried about Hunny-sempai and want to rush to his side. I guess that's what your family has done for generations. But you know better than anyone that he's capable of protecting himself from harm." She paused a moment "I guess what I'm trying to say is this: Hunny won't be mad at you for not being there. He got lost, and now we're going to find him, you don't have to blame yourself and rush around trying to find him. Hunny-sempai is probably near a sweets booth watching the fireworks. So we should try to enjoy ourselves a little while we search since he's probably having fun wherever he is." She smiled and let go of his wrist.

"Ah," Mori said.

Though the festival was scheduled to go on after the fireworks display, Kyoya had had quite enough of all the commoners. He called everyone and had them assemble where they had been dropped off a few hours previously. ("Idiots!" Neko had said when she got Kyoya's call. "We all have cell phones and didn't think to call each other when we got split up! We're all idiots!") Neko and Mori found Hunny had fallen asleep on a park bench next to the crepe stand. His adorable sleeping figure had attracted quite a bit of attention from the female festival-goers, and so the trio was given free crepes in thanks. They rejoined the group, crepes in hand. Hikaru, Haruhi, Kaoru, and Rei came out from the woods, chatting about games.

"I took the liberty of calling everyone's drivers; they should be arriving at any moment." Kyoya reported. "Haruhi, I called and prepaid a taxi for you. If you'll all excuse me, I'm afraid this unplanned event has put me behind schedule with some business I have to take care of tonight." He excused himself, and climbed in his car.

One by one, expensive cars arrive to pick up the Hosts and the bakers. Neko waved goodbye to everyone after climbing into her car. She broke out into a smile when Mori actually waved back.

_Ahhh_, she thought, _the sweet taste of progress_.

Omake:

Rei: Hey everyone! It's been a while but I've been really busy with school, clubs at school, and a job. Not much time to work.

Neko: I've been busy too. I work on the staff of a small anime convention, it kind of bogged me down for while I should have been editing chapter four. Thankfully I wasn't busy when Rei-chan gave me this latest installment, which originally was going to be a filler chapter. But look at all that development!

Bradwen: What development speak you of? Me first mate and me were barely in this chapter you scurvy lasses!

Rei: Don't worry, we have much more in store for you homo side characters.

Bradwen: HEY!

Rei: Yar!

Neko: .


End file.
